To: Corporate America

From: Over Fifty

Subject: The Forgotten Workforce

There is an unfortunate inevitability to the fact that all things age and most come to an end. There is a certain beauty that can be attached to this process of aging, if done with dignity and grace. I have always felt that one of the most beneficial aspects of human life is the ability to learn and then to pass that knowledge to the next generation.

One of the best places to share the knowledge gained through experience is within the workplace. This form of passing the torch seems to be all but dead when one considers the way in which, today, Corporate America approaches the staffing of its workforce. I find the current age-discrimination practiced by most corporations against seasoned professionals to be a disgrace and dishonor to our way of life.

In observing the generation before mine, I saw people with a strong work ethic; people with strong family values and a desire to make things better. These ideals were instilled in me and led me to continue the pursuit of the same dreams. In my work experience I have seen many changes in how our efforts in the workplace are rewarded. Today the pension is almost nonexistent, and people are terminated weeks before retirement, etc. I am very aware and even agree with many of the changes corporations have had to make in order to stay in business. The one change I can not understand, nor condone, is the decision by most of Corporate America to basically throw away the precious resource of age and experience.

In observing the generation after mine, I see people that are living a life of instant gratification, with little or no regard for the future. I do not blame this new generation for their lack of substance and they certainly recognize that when they are 40, they will be on the chopping block as well.

Where is our country going to end up if this continues? I do not know any young person that has a desire to stick with a job long enough to create anything new and useful. Also this young workforce most certainly does not care if the company for which they labor does well or not the only concern seems to be the next paycheck. Corporate America has only its self to blame for this attitude, for they have certainly let it be known that they do not care about the future of their workers.

Over the past 20 year or so, I have seen a very definite degradation in the quality of the workforce. I fully believe this is caused by the misguided human resource policies of Corporate America in focusing on replacing older, more experienced workers with younger, obviously less experience workers. I would really enjoy seeing a company posting a help wanted ad that reads something like this: Major Corporation seeks workers with experience in solving real workplace problems. Age is not a deciding factor — we are looking for maturity and intelligence of thought. This cannot be taught in a classroom so a degree is not required.

I think it is time that Corporate America gets back to what has made us a great nation. Respect for what has gone before, and building on the lessons learned through practical experience. Corporations today will promote the illusion that they are nondiscriminatory in their hiring practices, but my recent experience says otherwise. I am 54 years old, multi-talented and have a lot of knowledge to pass on to the next generation. It would be a waste to leave me in the forgotten file.

James Mikesell has been a professional in the manufacturing and aerospace field for more than 30 years. He was the manufacturing manager for the construction of the superstructure for the Biosphere II project in Oracle, Ariz. He recently relocated to Anchor Point after 15 years at Tetra Tech Inc.